From where I stand.

By now, you must know that I am a retired senior citizen.I live in a beautiful little town, with this beautiful vista. Lucky me!

From where I stand I have lots of time, but not a lot of resources.

Our biggest issue as senior citizens is affordability.  Affordability of health care, daily expenses, necessary services. Most of us are on fixed income. What that means is that most of our income is not growing in value; our purchase power is much less today than it was the day we retired.

When gas prices go up or a new medicine is prescribed, we have to find money to pay for these things from our present budget.  If we get fatally ill, we could lose all of our assets to pay for that medical care, including our homes, our pensions, our savings.

So, don't be surprised to know that we will cost tax payers more for Medicare, for Social Security, for Medicaid. These programs took a long time in coming, helping many people live through a longer lifespan with a modicum of security.

Middle class seniors who worked all their lives, who saved and scrimped, are still in jeopardy.  If Medicare and Social Security were reduced, seniors would be suddenly homeless and on the streets.

Regardless of where we live, most seniors have a tough time balancing their budgets. More and more seniors  become wards of their own children, bunking in a spare room. So, if we go under, our children go under too, taking us in, suffering the extra burden of babysitting grandpa who is unable to afford to stay in his own house.

Golden years?

Most folks run out of savings in the first five years of retirement. Even with social security and Medicare, seniors are quickly lowering the quality of their lifestyle the minute they quit their work.  They may not need new clothes or new cars, but they will need more and more medical services and drugs.

Can you save enough to live well in your golden years? Financial advisers tell you to start savings in your twenties,  investing your money for the years when you won't be able to work. 

Now, if you expect to retire early, you need to stop reading this, turn off all extra appliances, and start making a plan today to live frugally from this day on. Don't say you didn't know.

Back to Port Orford...

This is my tired husband, ready to soak in the sea breeze and rest after a week of go, go , go.

In the morning hours, our lake, viewed from our deck, is a peaceful place, the ocean just over the dunes, cool breezes keeping us comfortable day and night. We missed this peacefulness during the girls' visit. It was fun having them; but it was also very tiring.

The look here is one of satisfaction. We did it; we had a great time at the Shakespeare Festival, at the beaches, at the zoo, at the various family reunions we shuffled to last week.

We're back home, just the two of us, two birds on a wire, or a ledge, getting ready to face another fall, winter and spring of rainy weather. The boat house needs painting, the deck must be washed and sealed, and the outdoor furniture needs to be brought in. But, not quite yet.

We are taking long beach walks, enjoying dry, sunny days.

Soon, school bells will ring and the world will return to another rhythm, that of work and study. Three of my children/spouses are in education; their work rhythm is well known to me. At the end of August, we all stock up at Staples, at Walmart, buying extra paper and pencils, not for ourselves, but for the children in our classrooms who might need such supplies. My husband volunteers for an organization that provides shoes for kids. And all over Oregon, in each mall, there are bins to collect coats for children for the cold and rainy months.

With employment down, and food and utilities taking such a big bite of a family's budget, it is important for all of us to give more, to be more generous, more understanding. Many people are unemployed or underemployed. My children in California who work for the state received pay cuts, in form of unpaid furloughs. They have to adjust their budgets accordingly.

The country is debating universal health care, and many people are confused and fearful. We know that something needs to be done, and costs need to be contained.

Come September, our representatives in Congress need to sit down and pass a health care bill that addresses our most pressing need.

Jobs, jobs, jobs

People are beginning to move out from our small hamlet. Local schools keep tabs on who checks in and out, and they report steady decline, even more than they had anticipated back last June, before the economic downturn, before the news of economic troubles hit the nation.

California, south of us, has worse problems, slashing its state budget,forcing employees to take unpaid leave. In effect, all state workers in California will be taking a 3%-5% cut in wages and benefits. Unions are going to fight these cuts as unfair labor practices, as the pressure to save jobs and prevailing wages mounts all around us. Most folks remember what Reagan did to the traffic controllers back in the 80's and they are ready to fight back.

Everybody expects cuts to occur. But nobody expects the new administration to trash contracts and destroy union memberships. The temptation will be there for corporations and municipalities to stay solvent by all means. We hope that human rights and workers' rights are not slashed as well.